An Abuja High Court on Monday admitted five newspaper publications alongside certification receipts from the National Library of Nigeria as evidence in the ongoing trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Justice Maryanne Anenih admitted the documents after they were presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission through a subpoenaed witness, Jegede Oluwasegun, an official of the National Library of Nigeria.
Emefiele is facing a four-count charge bordering on alleged disobedience to the direction of law and illegal acts said to have caused injury to the public.
According to the EFCC, the offences contravene Section 123 of the Penal Code, Cap. 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, and are punishable under the same law.
The former CBN governor, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
At the resumed hearing, EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, led the witness in evidence before the court.
The witness, identified as the prosecution’s eighth witness (PW8), explained his official responsibilities at the National Library of Nigeria.
During proceedings, the prosecution tendered copies of This Day, Daily Sun, The Nation, and other newspaper publications, alongside certification receipts.
Counsel to Emefiele, Olalekan Ojo, did not object to the documents presented by the prosecution.
While being cross-examined, the witness admitted that he was not responsible for the contents published in the newspapers.
“What I do is to certify the newspapers. I cannot 100 per cent say the contents of the papers are right; I am not the author,” the witness told the court.
Ojo later presented a This Day publication dated January 31, 2023, together with its certification, which the witness confirmed before the court.
The prosecution raised no objection to the document, and Justice Anenih subsequently admitted it as evidence and marked it as an exhibit.
The matter was later adjourned until Wednesday for further hearing.
Elijah Adeyemi
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